Artist Statement: My mother would wake up every morning and go to sleep every night in our Alaskan childhood home that she had lived in for almost 60 years. She would always say the same thing: "I want to go home." When we told her "This is your home!” She would always say "It sure doesn't look like my home! Everything is all crazy and mixed up!" She is still being cared for at home and it is still crazy and mixed up. Once the chaos of Alzheimer's enters your home, nothing is ever the same again.Dedication: In memory of the 14 members of my family who have already passed with Alzheimer's and related dementias, and in honor of my mother who still does her best...each and every day, in her crazy and mixed up world..
This quilt has Fast Finish Triangles.

This quilt earned $75 for AAQI.

Note from Michele:
This little story quilt depicts my childhood island home in Alaska... with its mountains, birds, valleys, and our lovely Sandy Beach where we actually play in the sand, and find starfish and seashells. When our Taku winds blow, our houses sway, our rooftops can even fly off. It gives others the chance to know what our home feels like inside and out..... without or without any wind.

Alzheimer's disease tears apart the fabric of so many lives and stretches and bends us all to our limits of sanity. Our respite come from contact with nature and the quiet places within that give us deep solace. We learn to bend with the winds of time and change and learn that we are all part of a greater cycle.

I am 'home' with my mother no matter where I am, she is, or where she 'thinks' she is. And it's always so very good to truly be home.

What a wonderful quilt - I love the bright and happy colors and the wonkiness of the houses. You did an amazing job on this quilt, and the fact that it is an Alzheimer's Art quilt dedicated to those fourteen family members and your Mom makes it all the more special.

What a beautiful quilt and such a poignant story! My auntie and mother in law suffered from mental problems and were tough to deal with most of their lives. families are definitely interesting Thankfully, there are often happy memories too. Your quilt would be fantastic in any size...love those colors and your embellishments. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

What a gorgeous little quilt and a fabulous story to go with it. My mother passed 9 years ago. Her last four years were spent in a fog so deep that by the last six months she could not even speak. I haven't made a quilt for AAQI before but I would like to this year.

What a touching story. My mother's second husband had the disease and at the funeral I heard touching stories of the man he used to be--one that I never really knew because the disease struck early in their marriage. The story of your home in Alaska is well pictured in that tiny quilt!